


Dreams of Another World

by Sweatypuppy



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: AU, About the Shield's breakup, M/M, Nightmares, kind of shippy a little bit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-24
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2018-03-25 13:17:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3811924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweatypuppy/pseuds/Sweatypuppy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean has been having weird nightmares that feel far too real, involving him and his brothers, and a lot of betrayal. But that would never happen, of course.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Practice

He wasn't sure why his mood changed as suddenly as it did. Everything was perfectly fine only a minute ago, and now here he was, backed into the corner of their practice ring, eyes wide in what Seth assumed was terror. And he didn't understand it. Why was Dean so scared of a chair?

He lowered the metal object, so the back of the seat touched the mat lightly, raising his brow and leaning forward a bit. "Hey. Dean. Dude, what's wrong?"

Dean just stood there, staring at the chair for a few more moments before relaxing his shoulders and dropping down to sit on the middle turnbuckle, his face being pressed into his hands.

Seth dropped the chair, stepping closer to him and crouching down, trying to peek under the other man's hands. "Hey, talk to me bud, what's up? Do you wanna stop?" A slight nod was all the answer he needed, and he took Dean's hand, leading him between the ropes and out of the ring, off to the locker room.

\-----

"I seriously have no idea what that was, sorry." Dean apologized for the thousandth time, fiddling with the cap of his water bottle as he waited for Seth to finish changing back into actual clothes. "My heart just started beating really freakin' fast and I guess it... Scared me a little. Or something."

"A little?" Seth scoffed, shaking his head and ruffling Dean's hair. "You looked mortified. Like you just watched me murder a litter of puppies." That statement got a weird look from not only Dean, but a few others in the locker room as well. Seth snickered and rolled his eyes. "Was it the chair? I wasn't gonnah hit you _too_ hard."

Dean shrugged. "Maybe. I dunno. You just look..." He gulped, a small shiver going down his spine as his voice lowered. "A lot bigger, with that thing above your head like that..."

Seth's cocky attitude fell with that, and he moved to sit next to Dean on the bench, a hand resting on his shoulder. "Dean, are you sure you're okay...?" Another shrug, and he leaned forward, putting his elbows to his knees and his head in his hands. Not the position Seth liked seeing his brother in.

"I had this, uh, nightmare..." The muttered words caught Seth's attention, and he sat forward slightly, a hand rubbing at Dean's back slowly. "I guess... You were mad at me an' Ro, and... Took a chair... You just wouldn't stop hitting us, and there was blood..."

Seth just smiled, shaking his head and patting Dean's back lightly. "You don't have to worry about that. Just a dumb dream, buddy, that's never gonnah happen." He leaned forward, making Dean look at him. "I promise. I don't want to hurt you."

But he still saw that look in Seth's eye. That tinge of deceit that he'd seen before. But he just wasn't sure what to believe. This was his brother! One of the hounds! He wasn't going to stop trusting Seth just because of some dream he had weeks, maybe even months ago. That would be stupid.

But... That smile. The smirk. When Seth went after him with that chair, the look on his face was the same. Maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him again, but he swore Seth meant it.

He'd have to keep an eye out.


	2. Apology Outing

"Seth, seriously, you don't have to do this." Dean couldn't help but laugh as Seth practically dragged him toward the bar, their elbows linked together and a smirk across Seth's face. Not that scary smile from before, a genuine, loving one.

"No, I do have to! This right here is my apology date. You're going on a date with me."

Dean shook his head, laughing louder at that, making Seth's grin widen. "Dude, no, I'm not dating you! It's an apology _outing._ "

Seth gasped, way too over dramatically, placing his free hand over his heart. "Dean. Don't you dare go the "no homo" route. I expect full homo from you."

Dean shook his head, unable to suppress the giggles at this point and pushing Seth's face away from his own. "Dude, don't-"

"Full. Homo."

"Okay, okay, fine!! Buy me a few drinks and fuck me on the bar afterwards, Jesus!!" He actually said that. Loudly. Outside a bar.

Seth was the one to burst into laughter now, letting Dean's arm go and shoving him away. "Oh my god, you're gonnah get us kicked out and we're not even _inside_ yet!"

\-----

Two drinks down. His head started to get fuzzy. Good.

Glancing over to the side, Dean watched as Seth muttered with the other guys at the pool table, pool stick in one hand, diet Pepsi in the other. What a good designated driver, following the rules and all that shit.

Third drink in his hand. When did that get there? Oh well.

He stared into the glass, watching the bubbles rise to the top and getting sort of mesmerized.

The drink disappeared, an empty glass left in its place, and he looked back to Seth. Maybe halfway done with his game. A smirk across his face.

Not the nice one from when they just walked in. The mean one.

He could've sworn Seth started to stare at him. He just stared from across the room, never blinking, never looking away.

Dean started to shiver, thinking of running.

"Dean, hey, wake up, buddy."

He jolted awake, lifting his head from the bar and blinking frantically to wake the fuck up. He'd fallen asleep? When?

Four empty glasses in front of him. Oops.

Seth was shaking his shoulder, slightly less roughly now that Dean was awake. "Hey, we gottah hightail it, I think I pissed those guys off." He kind of hissed the last bit so the men in question wouldn't hear, and Dean understood, sliding off his stood and to Seth's side, letting his friend guide him outside and to the car.

\-----

The ride home was quiet. Mostly because Dean fell asleep as soon as he got comfortable. The only real noise in the car was the quiet radio and Seth humming along to the music.

Until Dean started making noises. And twitching.

Seth didn't worry about it too much at first, figuring it was just the bumps in the road that were annoying him. But he started to whimper, and squirm, and he started scratching at his back, and Seth couldn't just let Dean do whatever this was. He pulled over, leaning over the armrests and shaking Dean's shoulder.

"Hey, wake up! Dean, come on, snap out of it, bud!" He shook him and shook him, Dean's eyes eventually flying open with a loud gasp as he cowered away from Seth. Shaking, breathing heavily, trying to hide his face.

Seth watched him for a few moments, before gently placing a hand on Dean's back. He immediately pulled it back when Dean yelped and scooted even closer to the door, turning and staring at Seth with tears in his eyes. Actual tears. He was terrified.

No words came out, no matter how much Dean wanted them to, or how much Seth needed them, they just stared at each other. The low static of a lost radio station, Dean's heavy breathing and the little bell of Seth's blinker.

That was all.

Until Dean regained himself enough.

"We need to talk about this."


	3. The Dream

_His head was fuzzy._

_Things were moving fast. The crowd was blurry, he couldn't read their signs or the Titantron no matter how much he squinted his eyes. Felt like he had his eyes open in a chlorine pool, unless he looked at his brothers._

_Roman and Seth were the only things in the stadium that were clear to him. They stood out against the blurry background, bright and vibrant. His partners, his family. All he really understood._

_He couldn't really see who was up the ramp. He walked toward the ropes, squinting and trying to make out the blurry figures. Triple H? Batista? He figured it didn't really matter._

_He glanced to the side again, hoping to see his brothers again, remind him he wasn't going blind or something. But Seth was gone, only Roman was there. Where has Seth gone?_

_Then, Roman fell to his knees. Everything lost color around him, and he jumped back, staring in complete awe as Seth loomed over his brother, his best friend, a dented chair in his hands._

_Dean lunged at him. Protect your family. These boys are all you have._

_Seth smirked, a terrifying sight, and slammed the chair against Dean's head. Then his back. And again. And again. He wouldn't stop, no matter how much he pleaded, or cried, or even when he just lied there limp, reaching for his other brother, his_ real _brother._

_Seth wouldn't stop, not until he jolted awake._

\-----

Silence fell over them.

Neither knew what to say. After that... There wasn't much _to_ say.

Dean had calmed down, at least a little bit, and was now slumped down in his seat, arms crossed over his chest. His cheeks were red, embarrassed that he had to tell all that to Seth... It shouldn't have bothered him that much. He shouldn't have been so afraid, but still...

The fear felt so real. Like it really happened. Like it should've, or would've.

But it didn't.

It wouldn't.

So why was he still afraid?

He sighed, looking over to his brother. He was giving him this stare, this look of concern and sadness he'd never seen on Seth's face before. He didn't like it.

"I don't know how to fix this..." Seth breathed, just staring.

Dean hesitated before sighing and shaking his head, smiling softly at his brother. "I don't think you can." He paused, shrugging a bit. "You don't really have to, either. I'll get over it soon, I think."

"How long did you say you've been having these dreams?" Dean didn't respond, only looked back down into his lap and shrunk down a little in his seat. " _Dean--_ "

"A few weeks." The answer came quick, followed by a long pause, then a sigh. "Months."

" _Months?_ "

Dean nodded, biting his lip and looking to Seth again. "I didn't wanna say anything, cause it'd just creep you guys out or something--"

"Dean, this has been bothering you for _that_ long, and you didn't think to tell us? This is hurting you! I can see it, and you didn't tell us cause it'd 'creep us out?' That's bull, Dean!"

He stayed silent, ducking his head like a scolded puppy. Really, that's all he was.

"Dean... Look, we're gonnah... Alright, we'll go to the hotel, get Roman," Dean gave him that 'seriously?' look. "Yes, we're gonnah get Roman, and you're gonnah tell him, too. See what he thinks."

This was going to be a _long_ night.


	4. It’s Late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!! I haven’t been here in a while!!
> 
> I just went to a house show last night and it got me in the mood to write!! So, here we are once again! :D
> 
> I’m hoping to pick up the slack on this fic, I love it and I really don’t want it to die! And I know you guys don’t either!!
> 
> So, my muse is back and so is the angst! Enjoy! :D

“And you’re sure he’s not just drunk off his ass right now?”

“Seriously, Roman? Look at him!” Seth gestured to Dean, who was sat on one of the beds in Romans hotel room, his hands folded in his lap and looking up at the other two with big sad puppy-dog eyes. He had just told Roman the same story he’d told Seth, even more embarrassed having to go through it a second time.

“He _looks_ like you gave him a couple beers and he’s not all here.” He crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow and looking between the two of them. “And you guys know how late it is, right?”

“ _Seriously?!_ ” Seth stomped his foot, fists clenched at his sides and sort of getting in Roman’s face.

“Don’t yell, dude. The hotel’ll probably fine me or something.” He stood sturdy, not too entertained by how fussy Seth was getting.

Until, of course, he glanced in Dean’s direction. The man’s look of embarrassment and sleepiness was replaced with one of fear. Which was odd, because he’d seen Seth get like this before, and Roman wouldn’t think it would bother him like that.

Seth noticed Roman’s change of focus, and turned to look at Dean. He immediately relaxed, gasping softly. “Oh, shit, Dean, no, I’m sorry...”

He went to walk over to him, Dean sitting up a little straighter and waving a dismissive hand. “N-no, no, you’re good. I’m good.” He shook his head, looking down at his own hands. God, he felt stupid...

Roman just stared at this interaction, somewhat amazed.

Seth glared back at him. “What’s that look for?” Definitely annoyed.

“Guys... Are you swerving me or something? You can be honest.”

“God, Roman! Quit playin’ around! Why would he lie about something like this? He’s scared! And he trusted you to take him seriously!!”

“Actually, he didn’t seem like he wanted to tell me at all. He was super uncomfortable the whole time, I could tell.”

“Probably ‘cause he knew you’d react like this!”

“Or ‘cause you forced him to tell me, ‘cause you thought it would help.” His brow was raised, and he had a bit of a smile. “Obviously it didn’t.”

“I- Wha- you... Shut up!!” Another stomp of his foot, and Dean scooted away from him a bit.

“You’re scaring him.” Roman’s head tilted slightly, and he nodded to Dean, who shot an irritated look.

“He is n-ot!” Dean’s voice cracked a little, which made Seth look back at him and stand, regretting this trip to see Roman.

“God, Okay, fuck this.” Seth put his hands up, defeated. He started to back away from Dean, and towards the door. “I... I shouldn’t be here. You’re terrified of me right now, it’s not good for me to-“

A firm hand pressed against Seth’s back. “No way. You’re staying.” Roman didn’t give Seth time to protest. “I’ll share a bed with him if I have to. But you’re not going anywhere. You both have to rest, cause obviously neither of you are entirely sane right now, and fuck you, I’m tired.” He shoved Seth back inside.

He stumbled, turning to face him with daggers in his eyes.

“I’m tired, too.” Dean muttered.

Roman clapped his hands together, smiling. “It’s settled then! Go the hell to sleep and we’ll figure out what we’re gonna do about Seth’s anger issues tomorrow.”

—

And so, they did. Roman and Dean in one bed, Seth in the other. Roman and Seth faced each other, Dean passed out almost immediately facing the wall.

“Was it really that bad?” Roman muttered, practically falling asleep as well.

Seth wasn’t as tired. “He was a wreck, dude. This isn’t okay.”

Roman yawned. “Yeah... We’ll figure it out, man, I promise. Just, try an’ sleep, Okay? It’s late...” He closed his eyes.

“...I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

“Mhmm. Go to sleep.”

“...I’ll pay for it if the hotel charges you extra.”

“Seth.”

“I-I mean it-“

“ _Sleep._ ”


End file.
